The Reformer

Bishops in the Lords

Why are there Bishops in the House of Lords?

When most people think of Bishops they imagine a man or woman saying prayers in a cathedral, not making the...

America polling station

How the Democrats could win the popular vote but not control of the House

Brenda from Bristol famously cried “not another one!” at the news that we were to hold an election in 2017,...

Voters in 1945, Holborn

In 1951 more people voted Labour than Conservative, yet the Conservatives formed the government

The General Election on this day in 1951 couldn’t have been more decisive. Six years since Labour’s victory in 1945,...

votes up and seats down

How can a party lose support but gain seats? The upside-down world of Westminster’s voting system

What would you expect to happen if a party gained support in a fresh election? Most people would expect them...

May 3rd 2018

Seven things you need to know about the local elections

Blink and you’ll miss the coverage, but local elections are happening on Thursday 3 May in England.  A lot has changed...

Polling Station

Why Voter ID is a solution seeking a problem

The government will be trialling making ID mandatory at polling stations this May. Voters in Bromley, Woking and Gosport will...

No ID no Entry

Why the government’s mandatory voter ID plans are a terrible idea

The Electoral Commission has launched a new campaign against electoral fraud – a laudable effort to limit this type of...

Paris

How will the 2017 French presidential election work?

After last year’s political whirlwind, attention has turned to 2017’s elections for evidence of further shocks. Voters are going to...

How Trump won the Presidency despite not winning the most votes

So that sure was an election.  Whatever happened in the US presidential election it was always going to be a...

Trump

How Trump could win the Presidency even if he doesn’t win the most votes

It’s election day in the United States, and that means all the pageantry and spectacle one comes to expect with...

Tories don’t use First Past the Post to elect their leader. It’s one rule for us and one for them

How do Conservative Party leadership elections work?

(Updated for October 2024) Historically there weren’t elections for the leader of the Conservative party, but, following the machinations surrounding...

online voting error

Why can’t we vote online?

The following is a guest blog from Jason Kitcat, who is on the Advisory Council for digital campaigners, the Open Rights Group....